Faith-Justice Institute

The Faith-Justice Studies Program is an interdisciplinary, self-designed curriculum that enables students to integrate their major area of study with inquiries into faith and social justice issues. Students interested in pursuing a Faith-Justice Studies Minor should visit Minor Requirements. All Students interested in faith-justice issues, regardless of declared Minor, are welcome to enroll in Faith-Justice Studies Courses.

Additionally, each semester a Faith-Justice Studies Series course is offered. The Series course focuses on a current social justice issue. In the past, course topics included Food and Justice, The 2008 Elections, Deconstructing Youth Violence, Ethics and Global Economics, and Environmental Justice. Coupled to the course to enhance the students’ educational experience is an Outreach Lecture which features a keynote speaker on the selected social justice topic and is open to the university and local communities,

The Fall 2009 Faith-Justice Series course is Sociology 1633, Philadelphia: In Black and White. The purpose of this course is “to explore the topic of race relations with reference to a case study of Philadelphia. It is a unique course insofar as it directly addresses the issue of race in a multidisciplinary way, and it offers a unique opportunity to explore a topic and a city that are only dealt with indirectly in other courses. This course will explore the impact of race on social, economic, and political life in Philadelphia. Utilizing a socio-historical approach, it will focus on the work of W.E.B. DuBois and other social scientists who have documented the effects of race on Philadelphians in such diverse areas as housing, health care, employment, and family life” (SJU Course Catalogue).